The Newsroom

Whenever Aaron Sorkin is involved in a television show it automatically becomes a must see. Sorkin is the main writing mind behind this HBO series and it shows, as the writing of the show is definitely what makes it so good. The coolest part about the show is how the dates of the episodes coincide with major events in the news world in the year the show is taking place. In season one's case, that is the year 2010. The Newsroom, literally, covers things like the rise of the Tea Party, the BP Oil spill, and the assassination of Osama Bin Laden. It gives viewers a behind the scenes look to how the news is put together and delivered to viewers in the United States. Much like West Wing and other Sorkin shows, the accuracy of the industry is off the charts.

The other great aspect of Sorkin's writing in this case is how he not only involves real news worthy events, but each character also has a personal life and backstory. Whether it is the lonely, drug addicted life of news anchor Will McAvoy or the different relationships going on around the office, the audience is clued in on it all. What Sorkin is capturing is that not everyone that produces the news for a living is a boring person in real life, these people have interesting and complicated lives that capture the audience when the news stories don't. It is a good mix of high-paced news driven content and slow-placed character development.

As great as Sorkin's writing is, you can't talk about this show and not mention how great the acting is. Jeff Daniels as Will McAvoy plays the role perfectly. Daniels is extremely talented and captures Will's up's and down's perfectly. Will is a troubled character, who suffers from depression and anxiety due to childhood issues and his now producer (MacKenzie McHale) cheating on him. Daniels is able to portray the gunslinging anchor in a way that makes the audience wish that Will McAvoy was the anchor of their local news program.

For someone that is interested in going into the television industry The Newsroom is one of the most interesting shows on TV. I am constantly paying attention to how the characters in the show produce the news, and how things work both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. What this shows explains to viewers is just how much work and effort it takes to put out the nightly news. Confirming stories with sources, getting live interviews, asking all the right questions, all while working to get as many viewers as possible. It's a results based business, and viewership is truly the most important thing. After watching this show, viewers feel like they know the in's and out's of television news.